The county District Attorney's Office has tacked on special circumstances of murder for financial gain to a charge of premeditated murder for accused killer Bryan Cook.

It's an enhancement that makes Cook eligible for the death penalty in the slaying of Jones. Police say they were called to a house in Weston Ranch last Thursday and found a crime scene but no victim. They tracked down Cook at a Tuolumne County campsite, found a man's torso in the campsite's fire and found other body parts around the campsite.

Cook, 38, appeared in court for arraignment Wednesday, a day after a woman was charged in the same courtroom with accessory after the fact.

Prosecutors said 48-year-old Valentina Paz, the victim's girlfriend, assisted Cook after the crime took place.

Both defendants are from Tuolomne County, Deputy District Attorney Robert Himelblau said.

Himelblau said he could not provide details on the financial motivation or anything else relating to the case, saying it was an ongoing investigation. But he described it as "unusual."

Investigators believe Jones was killed and dismembered inside his home in Weston Ranch before the body parts were moved to a Tuolomne County campsite.

Detectives found the remains in various places at the site, including a torso in a fire pit and other remains inside Cook's vehicle.

Stockton police launched the investigation last Thursday after receiving a tip that a homicide had occurred at Jones' home in the 4500 block of Mist Trail Drive. Police discovered a bloody crime scene upon arrival.

Cook was arrested at the campsite in Groveland.

Cook is eligible for the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole, but prosecutors have not yet decided which penalty to seek.

"We take it case by case," Himelblau said. The level of brutality definitely is a factor in the decision, he said.

An old murder conviction from San Joaquin County is stalling death executions in California, and that standstill could play a role in the prosecution's decision whether to pursue capital punishment for Cook.

"We're still waiting for the Michael Morales case to resolve," Himelblau said.

A lethal injection for Morales, who was convicted of killing 17-year-old Terri Winchell in 1981, was halted two hours before his scheduled execution in 2006 when a federal judge found legal issues with the state's method of execution.

The federal court has ordered a moratorium on California's executions. Meanwhile, the number of death row inmates has grown to 746.